Morning Sickness & Pregnancy

Morning Sickness & Pregnancy

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More than half of pregnant women experience morning sickness or fatigue. Morning sickness usually occurs only in the first trimester. While the phenomenon remains a medical mystery, it is believed to be caused by rising hormone levels. One way to cope is to drink and eat in small amounts throughout the day. For some, eating crackers may be all they can handle. Save your eating and important work decisions for the time of day you usually feel best. There is usually no cause for concern, but if you can't keep down fluids, you should see your doctor. As for "first-trimester fatigue," it usually resolves by the fourth month. Eating balanced meals, taking your prenatal vitamins and taking short naps may help.

During pregnancy, many women feel sick, get sick, and are sick. And to top it off, they feel guilty about being sick because they worry that they're not siphoning up enough calories and nutrients for their babies.

If you're experiencing nausea associated with pregnancy, a couple of things could be happening. A vomiting center in your brain is more sensitive and your digestive tract is more relaxed—making it more likely that foods travel up, as well as down.

Unfortunately, we don't know much more about why you're feeling so terrible.

Although morning sickness serves an evolutionary purpose, the true biological reason why pregnant women feel and get sick isn't fully understood. It seems that something in the vomiting center of the brain is stimulated during pregnancy to induce nausea. In addition, morning sickness may be linked to higher levels of estrogen and/or the high level of the hormone hCG in early pregnancy. Plus, during pregnancy, the digestive tract relaxes, which makes muscles less efficient, causing an increase of acid present in your stomach.

When you consider all those factors plus the heightened sense of smell you'll experience during pregnancy, it creates a swirling GI storm that makes many expectant mothers sickened quite literally by the mere mention of food.

Drink small amounts of cold, clear, and carbonated liquids between meals. Try to include ginger ale or lemon-lime soda, clear broth, juice diluted with water, gelatin, electrolyte drinks (such as Gatorade and Pedialyte), and popsicles.

When nausea has improved, move on to the BRAT diet: Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast. -- Eat only small portions.

Choose salty over sweet foods.

Avoid hot, spicy, fried, greasy, or fatty food.

If odors make you feel sick, use prepared or frozen foods, or let someone else do the cooking. You can also try using a nose clip to minimize breathing in troublesome odors.

Eat in a cool, well-ventilated room away from where the food was prepared.

Eat slowly.

Iron supplements can increase nausea and may need to be temporarily reduced.

An empty stomach may aggravate nausea, so eat frequent snacks, as soon as you feel hungry.

Keep dry crackers by your bedside. Eat a few crackers in the morning before rising and then sit upright in bed for a few minutes before getting up to reduce the feeling of nausea that occurs with an empty stomach.

Acupressure over the wrist can also relieve nausea. Find the P6 acupressure point, located in the middle of your arm between the tendons and about two to three finger widths above your wrist crease. Deeply and firmly make circular motions over this area for several minutes. Over-the-counter Sea-Band wristbands can also activate this acupressure point and reduce nausea. These wristbands have a firm nodule that puts pressure over the P6 acupressure point for nausea.

There's nothing that spoils the elation of a positive pregnancy test quite like the misery of morning sickness. While 50% of women have at least occasional nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, some are debilitated to the point that they can't function or work.

Charlotte Bronte, the author of Jane Eyre, actually died from severe nausea and vomiting in the fourth month of her only pregnancy. Rest assured that this was in 1855, prior to the availability of IV fluids. Today, 1% of women are hit with this most severe form of morning sickness, known as hyperemesis, an illness that often requires hospitalization.

The most infamous symptom of early pregnancy is morning sickness, which -- as you may have discovered -- can occur at any time of day. Many women experience no nausea at all, while others suffer from frequent vomiting. To better cope with nausea, you may want to:

Eat dry crackers in the morning before rising.

Eat several small meals during the day, instead of three large ones.

Avoid rich, spicy, fatty and fried foods.

Take daily walks in fresh air.

Avoid offensive odors.

Talk to your doctor about waiting a few weeks to take prenatal vitamins.

In the first trimester hormone changes can cause nausea and vomiting. This is called "morning sickness," although it can occur at any time of day. Morning sickness usually tapers off by the second trimester.

Eat 6 to 8 small meals instead of 3 large meals to keep your stomach from being empty Don't lie down after meals Eat dry toast, saltines, or dry cereals before getting out of bed in the morning. Eat bland foods that are low in fat and easy to digest, such as cereal, rice, and bananas Sip on water, weak tea, or clear soft drinks. Or eat ice chips Avoid smells that upset your stomach

Call a doctor if

You have flu-like symptoms, which may signal a more serious condition. You have severe, constant nausea and/or vomiting several times every day.

This information is based on source information from the National Women's Health Information Center.

Yes. Early in pregnancy (and for some women through all three trimesters), nausea and vomiting can affect your eating habits. You may crave certain foods or not feel like eating at all. If this happens, you still should try to eat a variety of foods each day. Often keeping a few soda crackers with you to nibble on will help decrease nausea that can actually be made worse when you get too hungry.

Eating small meals may help with “morning sickness,” which is often worse when your stomach is empty. Morning sickness is not limited to mornings, and nausea can occur day or night, often accompanied by vomiting.

If you have morning sickness, there are some dietary steps you can take to feel better. It can help to keep some starch, such as Melba toast, rice or popcorn cakes, or saltines or other low-fat crackers, close at hand to eat if you become nauseated. Some women find it helpful to eat a small snack at bedtime or before they get up in the morning to prevent morning sickness.

Help with Nausea

Eat dry crackers or toast before rising.

Eat small meals every 2 1/2–3 hours.

Avoid caffeine.

Avoid fatty and high-sodium foods.

Drink fluids between meals, not with meals.

Take prenatal vitamins after dinner or at bedtime.

Always carry food with you.

Talk with your health care team. They may have helpful suggestions. Also tell them about any herbs or supplements you may be using. These may make nausea worse.

Drugs commonly used to treat nausea during pregnancy include the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) category B drugs metoclopramide (Reglan), ondansetron (Zofran), and the FDA category C drug promethazine (Phenergan). A recent survey found that the nausea medications most commonly prescribed by obstetricians are ondansetron and promethazine. These are available as pills, liquids, dissolvable tablets, and rectal suppository forms.